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Did anyone actually call NES carts "game paks?"

Nintendo pushed that terminology for almost 20 years, but for the life of me I can't think of anyone who referred to them as such.
 
no. They were games, carts, or cartridges.

I don't think I really remembered that they were called game pak's until I looked at one and read it. Same with the Japanese ones being called cassettes.
 
I think I called them carts mostly, but the term "game pak" was pretty much unavoidable at the time. It was on everything, game boxes, instruction manuals, posters/advertising etc.
 
is "pak" a word that exists?

I know the word pack but have never seen pak anywhere else, english isn't my 1st language though.
 
Carts (or cartridges when we were talking all posh like), was the only term I ever heard for them.

'Game pak' does ring a vague bell, but I don't recall anyone ever calling them that in person.
 
It was mostly a marketing thing to distance themselves from any terminology from the previous crash.

No one really used it outside of Nintendo PR and employees probably.

is "pak" a word that exists?

I know the word pack but have never seen pak anywhere else, english isn't my 1st language though.

No.
 
Cartridge.

Only the really weird and dogmatic called it anything else back in the day.

If people call them gamepaks today, I'd consider them as much of a poser as people who are trying to make "nintendo hard" retroactively a thing. All games were hard back in the day - easy ones were the exception.
 
I just remember always calling the "nintendo games." I didn't call them cart/cartridges until I got older, I think around the n64 times, and I've never called them tapes.
 
Pretty much call anything Nintendo's put a game on that isn't a disc a cartridge. I think the DS and 3DS are technically game cards but I still call them cartridges none the less.
 
I never even knew they were called game packs. I always called them and the Sega Genesis things "cartridges."
 
For anyone who doesn't understand what the "game pak" thing is, check bottom right of the pic. Bit blurry sorry.

images
 
I think once I learned the proper term I did use that, but it was that or just games. It was more I wouldn't use carts or cartridges, but I probably fell out of caring there around the time the 32-bit era was in full swing.
Nintendo tapes.

Also PlayStation records.
Ok if you're saying PlayStation records you skipped a decade or five.
 
Nope. They were "cartridges," or just "games."

My parents would call them "tapes" though.

My parents did the same. It's funny, I always thought they were the only one's to refer to them as 'tapes.' Must be a generational thing lol.
 
My grandpa used to call them "tapes"

But my grandpa also used to donate money to Republican political campaigns, so... *shrug*

love u gramps RIP
 
I remember a fairly zealous Toy 'R Us rep at the time that liked to correct "cartridge" to "game pak." It was an odd time.
 
What's with all the "tapes"? Commodore 64 thing?

I never ever heard anyone refer to NES carts as tapes.

Until now.
More like audio cassette tapes and VCR tapes defining our understanding of small compact media in the 80s.


I remember a fairly zealous Toy 'R Us rep at the time that liked to correct "cartridge" to "game pak." It was an odd time.
I bet Nintendo reps pushed this point on them.
 
Is "tapes" a southern US thing? I remember in Homestar Runner they would make references to "Sega tapes" (i.e. Genesis cartridges) and I assumed that was because the Brothers Chaps were from Georgia.
 
Never heard "pak" in relation to the NES, but like others I do remember the "rumble pak" from the N64 and similarly the "transfer pak" for Pokemon Stadium.
 
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